“If you live a life of make-believe, your life isn't worth anything until you do something that does challenge your reality.” – Morgan Freeman

Humanity is headed in a strange direction, not between the shoulders but toward a future where reality is replaced by the fantasy of a virtual reality.  Oddly, fantasy was always the place that we went to as our escape from reality.  However, with AI and who knows where we are going beyond that, maybe reality will potentially become our escape from fantasy. 

It appears likely, if not obvious, that fantasy will eventually replace reality as the normal existence of human beings.  It is what we humans already prefer in 2026.  More and more time is spent on our fantasies and less and less on our reality.  What are some of the implications of reality being replaced by fantasy?

A New Reality

The future reality of living on planet earth would be an unrecognizable place for those of us walking around today.  Fantasy has a way of blotting out imperfections.  What would a world of perfect living conditions look like?  Everyone is attractive, at least on social media platforms.  Maybe plastic surgery will also advance to AI proportions to spare us looking at imperfect faces and bodies. 

We already have images of this on YouTube today and we know how fantasy has a way of replacing reality.   Scottie, of Star Trek fame, could beam us up in the 1960’s and maybe tomorrow for real.  Fantasy does replace reality.  Bones, the Star trek doctor, could ask the computer for a medical diagnosis and today we are asking CHATGPT.

Why Fantasy Wins

We have always preferred fantasy over reality.  Why should we be surprised that fantasy wins over reality in our future?  Our childhood started out with cartoons and the fantasy world of animation.  Now we are consummating that early life fantasy by creating robotics that can replace humans.  It seems that are fantasy filled lives fail to recognize that we are becoming the fantasy and robots are becoming the new reality.  Star Wars the movie, placed robots in a supplemental role but it appears we humans may become the supplemental characters on earth.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass

Replacing the Struggle

Much of our fantasy with fantasy is replacing the struggles of life in our reality.  We will have self-driving cars, we will have robots serving our every need, manual labor will be eliminated, life will be struggle free.  Is this a good thing?  Could there be any possible deleterious ramifications?   

The Value of Resistance

We know that resistance training builds physical strength.  Do we realize that mental resistance and social resistance also builds strength?  Will we be stronger or weaker without the resistance of reality?   When all of our struggles are eliminated, what will happen to our resilience?  How will we cope with anything that might be considered a challenge?

In the 1980’s Stress Inoculation Therapy (SIT) was believed to prepare people to handle stress better.  What happens when we are not prepared for the new stressors of a reality that have mutated into fantasy?  And, there will be stress with a fantasy life.  Boredom will still be around.

“We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality.” – Iris Murdoch

A Fantasy Life

Will an increasing need for fantasy help us to differentiate between truth and fiction?  We have misinformation and disinformation now but what will AI do to that information to conceal the truth even more?

Maybe our medications will give us the human qualities that we used to possess on our own.  What do you need today?  Passion?  Sure, we have a pill for that.  Empathy?  Here, take two of these, one in the morning and one at night.  Knowledge?  No worries, here is a smart pill, which lasts one year.  Be sure to not overdose, that could put you back into reality.

Unexpected Implications

Remember the old adage of “be careful what you wish for”.  Fantasy is definitely what humans have always wished for.  Some of that was inspiring because it pushed us into new worlds of thinking.  We have survived the all work and no play period of our history through sport, and video games, and constant entertainment.  Now we are looking to fantasy full time.  Reality is being replaced.     

Fantasy is much more attractive than reality when reality is all consuming.  Could reality become more attractive when fantasy is all consuming?  We may be about to find out.  Fantasy is gaining on reality with the replacement of machines for humans, more rest and relaxation with less work due to less opportunities to work, and a world that is absent of struggle. 

What will happen to purpose and meaning when our purpose and meaning has little or no consequence?  Can we live a life with little responsibility and few demands placed on our existence?  Will a life that consists of “mostly play” be any better than a life of “mostly work”?

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” - Robert Byrne

Any Solution?

Are we too late to implement solutions for the fantasy life takeover?   If Robert Byrne is right, we may get back to reality when we grow tired of the fantasy life.  Life on earth has always been about purpose.  Our best hope for a balanced existence in life would be to maintain our life’s purpose with fantasy as a supplement and not the main course.  We do not want a future that views reality as something that gives you delusional thoughts.  That’s fantasy.